We know about forgoing the leaven - but we're not sure leaving out the fat was ever part of Moses' plan. We understand that modern times call for lightening up some, but few Jewish cookbook writers seem to. We have looked through page after page of Passover recipes (and are drooling over the keys as we write), but only one book pays any lip service to low-fat cooking, Light Jewish Holiday Desserts (Canada, UK), so if you get to the end of the meal and still have a little room, you can indulge in a low-fat dessert. Writers of Jewish holiday cookbooks do not think Passover is a time to cut back.

Having said that, some of the traditional vegetarian choices clearly offer the greatest potential for cutting out fat, but might not be what you think of as holiday food, or "really great." A vegetable tsimmis is an option. Susan Friedland offers a recipe in the lavishly photographed The Passover Table (Canada, UK) for Vegetable Cutlets, featuring chopped red and yellow peppers, carrots, spinach, and onion, bound with mashed potatoes, eggs and matzo meal, seasoned, and sautéed. That sort of thing is about as low-fat as we have found. On the omnivore side, we think a chicken tagine beats out a roast chicken. A matzo chicken pie has some potential to be low in fat. And the salmon croquettes (Keftes de Pescado) favored by Turkish and Greek Jews look pretty good.

Getting back to important part of the meal, Light Jewish Holiday Desserts suggests a Strawberry Torte on a génoise made of matzo cake meal, a Raspberry Charlotte made with kosher ladyfingers, a Mixed Fruit Trifle with a thin custard containing only one egg, a Lemon Berry Roulade, with lowfat lemon yogurt, an Applesauce Spice Cake with a low-fat cream-cheese frosting - you get the picture, fruit and a little cake with a low-fat sauce or filling to hold it together.